Daily levels of coarse inhalable particles and sick leaves

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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Road traffic is typically the main source of coarse inhalable particles (2.5 µmdiameter10 µm) in urban areas. Consequently, exposure is high e.g. during commuting to work, in northern conditions especially during the spring time. Our aim was to evaluate whether daily outdoor levels of coarse inhalable particles are associated with the daily number of new sick leaves in Helsinki, Finland. METHODS: Data on work absenteeism among the employees of the city of Helsinki (approx. 50 000) was obtained for the years 2001-2017. Concentration of coarse inhalable particles was calculated by subtracting daily fine particle concentration from the concentration of inhalable particles, both measured at an urban background monitoring site. Statistical analyses were conducted using generalized additive quasi-Poisson regression, separately for the whole year and the spring dust period (15.3.-15.5). RESULTS:There were almost 2 million sick leaves in the data. The same day coarse particle concentration was associated with an increased risk of sick leave: relative risk for a 10 µg/m increase in exposure was 1.018 (95% confidence intervals 1.005-1.030). Fine particles had similar effect but with one day lag. During the spring dust period, coarse particles were not associated with the outcome. CONCLUSIONS:Exposure to road dust seems to increase the risk of work absenteeism. However, during the spring dust period particle toxicity may be reduced e.g. because of aging of the material during winter. KEYWORDS: air pollution, coarse particles, work absenteeism, short-term